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It’s that time of year again. The time when I decide whether or not to take up the November writing challenge. I did it last year, won and have spent ever since trying to make my effort into something readable. I’m still working on it and its grown to over 90,000 words as I try to get it to a suitable ending.

In the past, I’ve always struggled to start or got bogged down in the middle somewhere. Lost focus or lost interest or just found that time had overtaken me and then it was difficult to get started again. I’ve been lucky to be able to use Scrivener to break it up into manageable chunks and lately I’ve started using Ulysses, which does the same but in a different way. In fact, I’m writing this in Ulysses as it allows me to post straight into WordPress and onto my blog. Easy.

I need to make up my mind shortly though as that will give me time to research and plan during October. Although I’m pretty sure that things will be busy for me in that month so as you can see. I’m a long way from deciding as we head towards the end of September. Have to wait and see I suppose.

If I abandon my 90,000+ word project for a couple of months whilst I indulge myself on NaNoWriMo will I ever start it again? On the other hand, if I do that and then come back to it will reading it again guide me to a suitable ending? Dilemma – I’ll let you know.

I’ve fallen in love with Grammarly, an app extension of Google Chrome but also available in Windows. It seems to work really well and monitors your use of grammar and spelling, even on those websites which don’t normally spell check for you. (Something I have found to be essential in recent years). On initial set-up, you advise it to use either UK English or the USA English dictionary, alleviating a source of irritation that most spell checkers present to UK writers.

The added bonus is that it checks the grammar too, so the occasional incorrect word use is highlighted immediately. In effect, it’s doing a form of first line proofreading for you.

It’s available to use in its free version but enhanced features are added if you subscribe to the Premium, where it monitors many more areas of your text including sentence structure and writing style issues.

“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
― Ray Bradbury

I’ve just signed up to the Goodreads book challenge 2016. It’s where you decide how many books you wish to read during the year. It’s not really a challenge, as such, but I’ve never actually counted how many I read on average. I had already decided that this year I would keep a tally but the challenge means I don’t have to bother. When I start a new book or end one I merely go onto the website and enter the details and they keep track for me. It is also a good place to discover what other readers think about the next book you are considering. Others can rate and comment on any book they have read and likewise you can do the same once you either complete the book or give it up.

I just wondered how you choose what books you buy and read? Is it by author, genre, number of pages or perhaps even a bright book cover? Sometimes a thousand pages can be a little daunting and maybe even half that number can seem like an uphill struggle. Or perhaps there is the perfect novel hidden behind a plain and boring cover. I tend to follow an author I’ve already read, although that can sometimes be disappointing, but more recently I’ve gone by recommendations. Sometimes those come from friends or from blog posts or suggestions via email. I have, for many years, subscribed to the Everyday Ebooks website. From here they send out a daily recommendation with a comment from a reader. I have discovered some great books on here, notably ‘Matterhorn’ by Karl Marlantes. Someone I’d never heard of before but it turned out to be one of the best and memorable stories of the Vietnam war I’ve ever read. Based on true events and real people it is not for the faint hearted but exciting and impossible to put down.

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
― Stephen King

I was reading a book the other day and it suddenly occurred to me that my reading habits were probably not the same as others, but quite why, I don’t know. I tend to read crime thrillers, perhaps a bit of Si-Fi, a touch of horror and the odd biography or autobiography. The time of day I read varies with my mood, as does the amount of time spent reading. I have to read to the end of a scene or chapter before I can put it down, and I become annoyed with books which go on for page after page with no break. I think that is something the author should think about when writing. I am a voracious reader at times and then at others I may only read a page but I always have a book on the go and usually I have the next one lined up. Although that can change when I finish. I also always read the first 100 pages as I think it takes that long to get used to the writers style. If I haven’t settled into the book by then I know it’s not going to happen for me. I read physical books, books on the Kindle app on my tablet and occasionally the Kindle app on my smartphone. When I used to commute by train into work, each day, that was the ideal time to read and amazingly so many others do the same.

I tried an audio book once but I’m still unconvinced, even though I do like to hear stories read out on radio. Maybe it’s the length of the audio book which is the problem. Whilst listening, I find, my mind wanders in a way it doesn’t when I read words on a page. I’m sure there are millions of audio book fans out there and for visually impaired people they must be a god send.

I can never envisage a life without books although I do know people who haven’t read a book since they were at school. Maybe they get their pleasures elsewhere; maybe TV or radio. I remember the quote from Groucho Marx when he said.

“I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.”

I do watch TV but given the choice between that and a good book there is no contest

Today I hit the 50,000 words plus barrier at NaNoWriMo. In fact, I finished today on 52,105 words with nine days to spare. Big sighs of relief all round. This year, however, I intend to continue with my novel as I feel it needs completing. The characters are still growing and telling me the story so I’ve settled on trying to pound out an achievable 2,000 words a day, as there is so much still to be said.

In previous years I’ve stopped once I’d finished writing in November, thinking that was my achievement done for the year. What I actually discovered was that walking away from the story allowed it to die, as I went on to other projects. Flitting about like a butterfly. I then found it impossible to get back into the story and into the heads of the protagonists and my muse left me, staring at a jumble of words. So this time I plan to keep going and to keep the characters alive. At 52,000 words I don’t feel I am even half way towards my novel’s first draft and I have set my goal at completing that.

I don’t know what will happen but I am resolved to write something every day, and continue to build it into a completed first draft. It’s a good feeling to complete the November challenge but this year I shall keep it going.

Good luck to all others out there, still writing and heading to 50,000. I’m with you and will continue updating my word count until the end. Keep it up you’re doing great.

The steady rhythm of the windscreen wipers trying to dissipate the water was deafening in the angry silence that followed their row. Danny drove on and Sarah glared at the crumpled page of the A to Zed in her hand, trying to decipher exactly where they were. The streets were deserted in the heavy rain and the yellow glow of the street lamps was shrouded in mist, making it impossible to read the names of the roads they were travelling along.

“If you would’ve let me buy that Sat-Nav’, like I wanted to, we wouldn’t be in this mess” he said, his temper abating somewhat. Sarah ignored him and stared through the murk.

“Everyone has them. Nobody bothers with stupid maps any more. We live in an electronic age now. It’s a paperless society”.

Shaking her head slowly, she glared at her husband as he searched for some clue to their whereabouts.

“Goodwin Street” he shouted. “We’re on Goodwin Street; see if you can find it”?

She scanned the fine print of the index. “G-a, g-e, g-i, g-o” she went through her alphabet aloud. He found it annoying but stayed silent. Goodwin Street fell behind them as he crawled past the next junction with another unnamed road.

After several minutes a white van sped past them and narrowly missed the front of their car as the driver cut in too quickly.

“Idiot” Danny shouted to the fast disappearing van. Sarah continued looking for Goodwin Street, without success.

“Marshall Terrace” he called out excitedly and she, once again, began the process of following the index with her finger and calling out the letters of the alphabet as she passed them. The rainfall continued, turning the road into a river. They approached a small supermarket, it’s lights bright in the gloom and he stopped the car outside. Danny went inside and approached the counter where a disinterested young girl was sat looking at her phone. She ignored him.

“Excuse me” said Danny but the girl still refused to lift her head from the phone. Just then the bell chimed as another customer entered the shop. The girl looked over and smiled at the boy who came in. He walked up to the counter and stepped in front of Danny.

“Hey, I was first” said Danny but both youngsters totally ignored his protestations. The girl passed the youth twenty cigarettes which he pocketed and winked at her. He turned and headed for the door.

“Be careful, it’s the anniversary of the crash.” She called. “The one with that couple, who drove into the river and drowned”.

He turned and laughed “Yes I remember, she was found holding an A to Zed. It wouldn’t happen today. Not with Sat-Nav’s everywhere.